Parma seeks Greece����� participation in ambulance tax district tied to Hilton Fire District

Supervisor McCann introduced Dave Chufo, supervisor of the town of Parma, who asked the Greece Town Board to join an intermunicipal agreement to collect taxes for an ambulance district serving the Hilton Fire District portion of North Greece. Chufo said the district would allow Parma to contract for a dedicated, stationed ambulance paid for by the district rather than rely on mutual aid.

Why it matters: Presenters said volunteer ambulance service in the Hilton/Parma area has largely disappeared and call-volume and regulatory changes make a paid, stationed ambulance necessary to meet community needs. Parma officials said current response times in parts of the area have ranged from 8 to 38 minutes and that an anecdotal 42-minute response led to a serious outcome for a resident.

Tom Fertner, a fire commissioner, outlined the local history: the district once ran a volunteer ambulance dating back decades but could not sustain volunteers or meet insurance and regulatory requirements, so the district must now contract for service. Daryl Mazlank, a Parma council member who helped draft the RFP, said Parma issued a request for proposals to several providers and is due to receive bids on June 22. Mazlank said the Hilton Fire Department has offered station space to reduce response times and the selection criteria will include community integration and performance metrics as well as service type (basic or advanced life support).

Monroe County deputy public safety director Tim Henry and county public safety director Rich Tantillo were present; Henry stressed that county goal response times are typically under 10 minutes and said the district currently sees far longer responses. Parma officials said they expect to add roughly $0.12to $0.125 per $1,000 assessed value (about $25 per $100,000 of assessed value) if preliminary estimates hold, but final tax impacts depend on RFP results and will be provided when bids are evaluated.

Board members asked how many parcels and residents would be affected. Presenters said the proposed district covers roughly 374 tax parcels, about 275 single-family parcels, and an estimated population under 2,000. Officials confirmed that any tax district formation would include a referendum of voters in the affected area and that ambulance providers will need appropriate certifications (presenters referenced the requirement for a certificate of need). A board member asked whether the district tax would count toward the towntax cap; presenters said it likely would not because it would be a special district taxing only those who receive the service.

Several board members also pressed the presenters on contingency planning if the RFP produces no acceptable bids and on provider staffing and pay practices; presenters said plan B would revert to current mutual aid arrangements until a workable plan is executed and that the RFP includes questions about service capabilities though private bidders may not disclose full staffing plans publicly.

What happens next: Parma officials said they will collect proposals by June 22, convene a selection committee, and return to affected municipalities with precise cost numbers and recommended next steps. The Greece board did not take immediate action at the meeting; members said they will discuss internally and aim for a July decision leading into required local steps for district formation and referendum.